A/45/PV.75 General Assembly

I congratulat~ the repr~seDtative of Fiji on the successful completion of the consultations he has so~ly directed. The Assembly vill now take a decision on draft resolution A/45/L.49. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to adopt the draft resolution? Draft resolutign A/4S/L,49 wan adopted (resolution 45/264). The PlISIDBHT: May I remind delegations, that, in accordance with deeis,ion 34/401.. explanations of vote are limited to 10 minutes and should ~e made by delegations from their seets. I shall now call on those representatives who wish to explain their votes. I call first on the representative of Ghana, ~ho will speak OD behalf of the Group of 77 •. Mr, tmmOR (Ghanah The Group of 71 welcomes the adoption by consensus of draft resolution Al4S/L.49 on restructuring and revitalization of the United Rations in the economic, social and related fields. The Group of 77 took the initiative to present proposals in this regard out of a keen sonse of the Deed to restructure and revitalize the United Nations in the economic, social' and related fields in order to make it more responsive to the development challenges and objectives of the 1990s and beyond, aS,defined in the International Deyelopmsnt Strategy for the Fourth U~ited ~ations Development Decade, the Declaration on International Bconomic Cooperation, in particular the Revitalization of Bconomic Growth and Development of the Doveloping Countries, .contained In Genoral Assombly resolution 8-18/3, and other rGlevant resolutions of the General,Assembly, as well. as in the Charter. . \ , . The CODsensuswe have achieved today has beBn made possib15 by the , . general agreement that this undertaking must be seen as aproc8ss entailing a step-by-step approach. Thus, at this resumed session, the General Assembly focused OD measure. for the restructuring and revitalization of tho Economic and Social Council. Important decisioDS have been made with regard to the orgllDl.atio~-~~repoll:ting procedure.. of the Council, which should give it a •.' '"";' j " ne~:.enseOf put.PODe and direction, ~nabliD9'lt to fulfil ita charter and other;Jre.ponslbil1t1os 'effectively and efficiently. " , At the forty~D1zth se.sioD, the GenGral'bSemb1y "Ul focus of the review of the s~sidia~ machinery in the economic,8ocia1 and related fields. The Gro~p of 77 hopes that the same constructive spirit ~~at characteri.ed our deliberations at this resumed sessioD "ill be brought to the Assembly's consideration of this question. Further atepsin this process v1ll includo a resumed forty-..eventh .esslon to cODsider the composition of the Council, end a revie" of the complementarity between the work of the COUDCU an4 tha~ of the General Aasembly at the forty-seventh aession. A general revie" will be undertaken at th8 forty-eighth seallion. In all this, "e should be 9UideCS by the basic pdrJ~iple8 upon which we have agreed, S~ ~at the measure. that we adopt in the whole proce.s vill be focused, coh rent and con~l.tent. In thia regard, it ia important to emphasize that the Group of 77 sees the restructuring proce.s aa primarily an intergoverDmental reopoDslbility "hic~ must be pursued iD thst eo"tezt. We a1ao wish to emphasize that the principle of equitable geographical repreaentation, on the basis of which membership of the vllrious bodiaa an4 Org'aDlI la detemined, "ill be roapeeted in all cases. Permit me, Sill", to pay tribute to Mr. "instoD Tho~&ton, who8e wise aDd ski~ful guidance of OUlI: deliberationa enabled ua to achieve the ll"esults that all Member8 present happily celebrat~. Throughout the difficult and protracted negotiations, he ahoved heroic patience and understanding, and ve ue i.~_ "~ ~at.fu1 to h1ll. we all10 "lah to thank our partners for their cooperation aDC1 UIldttr.tancUng, and we hop9 that our next .ffort ,,111 be %hi rIISiDlltI I now call on the representative of Sweden, who "i11 IlpeK 0. behalf of the .or41c c:ountd.e•• Hr, WNjla (SW4elll) I During the laat fev we~t., we Mve together gothrough a long 04 thorough negotiating proc~880 All countries and group. bay. -.de valuabl.~oDtrlbutio~sto this pro~e8S. COD~tru~~lv~ ,roPO.als and a vl111agaese on all parts ~~ work together in a spirit cf C~D ob'.cti".. aDd in &Il atmosphere of c02liP~omb:v ha"":,} 1i1&~f' it pessible for thi. rGII.-.4 ••••iOD Of thG Gen.ral MS.ly t@ agr.. OD ,ft av.bstutl&1 reform 2'be 4oc_.t that i. belor. t.'\. .bllembly contains eo nUMber of lmportimt .1....ta wbicb could ha~ gr.at cona~Dc.8 for the United Rations. A ....tutlal cbaaie. ,,111 be IDtr~llce4 iD the work of the Ull1U:e4 RatioDs in tile .ao.-le aacl .(lcial fiel., perh8ps for the first tiN. Therefore the IIoI'41e coutl'iae ~lve theit, full e~pport to the l'efolTl progrerm'l'i8 that members DIa ..rtU:.!: coatd.. ,artil.'ular11" appreelata th6 _allures for the r••truc~.ri.. ~ r.vitalisation of the l.~aDoaic an4 Social Council. %he•• _uu•• eou1d tun tN COt".!Acil lato a vital ua forceful centre foE' the activlti•• of th8 Ve1ted .&tloall ln the ecoDomic end Bocial !lslam. Of particular Laportsac. are the ~a.ur@g daal1ag "ith the high-level and coordiD&tion s'gm&ntB of the substantive session of the Economic and Soeial Cuuncil. We believe that th.se measures could contribute to _re meaningful and more relevant dobates in the Council, with a real 1mpac:t on developmsnts. 7hey could a180 lead to a much-needed improvement in the coher,nce of the United Nations systemo What we now have to do is to continge our efforts to ensure that the reform measures for the Council that we have agreed upon are effectively implement.d. We must take measures as early aa this pear to make certain that the new Council ve are creating viII function properly from the start in 1992. The Kordle countries have consistently maintained that we have to embark on a long-term UnltcJ Nations refe~ process, a precess which, beside. a number of iJllll\ediato reform measures, must encompass a wider perllpective and a more precise agenda for the future. This could, perhaps, have been spelt out even more clearly in the document vhich is before the Assembly. It la, hQW8ver, cl.ar that refol'lll IDf the BcoDOlllc on4 Social Councll H' not enough. Ror can ~e:r.!Je I ••n ln laolation. ne wort of the 11Jb.141ary bodi.s, of the Council 04 the Geufal Aaslllbly ahou14 IHt .Dbuce4 through .. appropr!at.~.fol'll ..a.ur... ft. work of t:ha Geural ,...lIIbly 1hou14 al.o be ..... strengthe.~.4 in order to have a r.al political impact. '!be RorcUc co_trl••, " ' . ' . '. ther.fo~., atta~ 9r.at·;~rtanc. to the r.vl•• for••••n I'~H4i~ the subal4iary bodi.1 aad.the coapllllentarlty betw.D. the Council u4 the Geural Assembly. Ifithou~ cOllcr.te r.fol'll Masur•• all a reau1t of the•• 1'.,,1... the r.form proc••s will giv' only liait.d r••u1tl. Th. Hordic countri.s al" confident that the continued r.fo~ proc,sl vill achieve further substotial r.sults if ". can carzy on our work In tb. positive and cODatructiv. Ipirlt which ha. charact.ri.ed the.....tiag•• Substantial r'lults al" call.d for al.o in the future 1~ we al" to forge an iDlStrWlKtnt whlch 1. .ff.ctive and strong .nough to deal with the .zpectatlou of the world ud which can help UiI achi.". our c~n tasts, 1lUl81y, to coabat poverty and other fund_ntal d.v.10~Dt prob1_ and to saanag. the 1Ilerea••d global int.rdependenc•• ~o conclud., I 8hQul4 lit. to r.lt.rat. that the Hordic countr!.. stand ready to continu. to participat. activ.ly and con.tructively in the r.form process that "'ill now be ••t in IIOtion. If' look fonrard to ."119 able to '1l40r.e in thls AII.embly furtheJr CODcr.t. rof01'll ..a.ur••, a!lled at strength.ning the 1'01. of the Unit.4 Rations ln the .conoai~ and aocl&! fields. Mt. LAVROY (U»iOD of Sovi.t Socialist Republica) (int.rpretatioD from Russian): The re.olution just adopted by the General Assembly CamDot be de.cribed a. routine. Mhat we are approaching, in e••enco, i. the practical reali••tioD of the con.en.us deci.ion. regarding way. of implementing action taten on econa-ie develo~nt at the eight.enth .pecial •••sion of the General Aaa.-bly. ~e Degotiations have r.v.aled the various approach•• to solving a IlUllber of probl... conDidorod during the last IIOnth, including politically .euitive probl.... It i. 1Ilportant that at critical moments all d.legation. deMOn.trated the political will aD4 d••ir. for constructive cooperation, which ultiaately deter..lned the succ.ss of the n.gotiations. W. appreciate the contribution .ado by all delegations, particularly by the memb.rs of the Group of 77, which not only bec.. the initiator. of this Masure, but which al.o .~tte4 !nter••tiDg doCUMents, which wer. at the centre of attention in the negotiation.. I ah~u14 lite particularly to highlight the outstanding par.onal contributioD at the unofficial consultations of the Perman.nt aepr••entative of Fi'i to the Unit.d Rations, ADba.~a4or Thompson. The dOCumeDt adopt.d today contains a .olid packaqe of mea.ures the practical t.pl...ntation of which will _ate it po••ible s.riously to eDhaDco the authority of the .ocial aDd econe-ie activiti.. of the Unit.d Rations &Dd detem1u its _ role iD Inlltilateral econOMic dialogu.. We note with .ati.factioD that the work of the r.Deve4 ••••10D of tb.Economic and Social COUDcil will be ai..d at overCOMing .ectoral particulariti.. of the problems of the United.ations in the ecoDo-lc, aocial and h~tariaD area.. The ECODomic aDd Social Council has to .nsure a .ynthe.is of the r.sults of the vork of the i,",ividual .ectors Dd organs in tho political r.co....D~atlons for the Ceural A8attJlbly. It 1. aleo iIlportaDt that thlal stratG9J> of tating furth.r step. for cODtillU1Dg th. refom. 1B beillg card.a out. ID our vl.¥jJ the stage by .tage t.pl"'DtatioD o~ tbe.e ..asures should beca.. part o~ a broaaar proce.. of re~o~ o~ the UDited RatioD. as a whole aDd o~ the .y.t.. of the .peelalised ageDcle•• We .hall COD8tr:uctively cooperate with all cOUDtrie. to ••• to it that thi. process is bas.d OD the spirit aDd letter of· the UDited aatioDS Charter aDd that it wl11 prOllOte the impl"DtatioD of, it. potential, which i. far froa being exhausted at pre••nt. Aa a re.ult of the agre.lellt. achitrved, we have a good ear••t of progre•• ilf. the future, 1.iIl4 the Soviet dalllt9&tlon i. ready to proaot. ~urther .fforts to t-prove the 80clal and econa.ic activities of tho Unitecl RatioD. iD or:ier to aeuce it. effective... aDd a4aptation to the Dev political aDd ecoDOMic realitie•• hOllour to .paat.OD behalf of the BuropeaD C~UDity and it. 12 ..mber State•• The European COMUDity and it. IIOmber Stat.s _lcOlle the 1IIIportaat re.ult. wbichhave beeD achieved followilUJ tbework dODe over the put few ..ek. OD the que.tion of the reatructuriag aDd revitali8ation o~ the Uaited Ration. In the ecoDe-ic aDc! .oeial field.. Thl. r~.ult -ay be ~oUDd iD the has thUD beCJGIH po••ib1e to briDg about a .erie. of refo~. which .Ul _t. it con.eD8U.. It 1. the first time iD the hietory of the United Ration. that it po••ible -ere profltebly~ more rationally aDd MOre effectively to o~gaDise our. work iD the econoaic and lIocial fie14•• n. United Ration••hould now be iD a better positiolll to discharge ',t. important pre••nt aDd future re.pon.ibiliti•• in th••• fields. The refo~. agreed upon iaply aD in-depth reorganisation of the wort of the Economic aDd Social Council. They also t.ply a more cQnaiatent and rational structure and a IIOre promising pr.paration of that work. But the agr....nt concluded go.. beyond a decision on a ser!.. of ••••nti.llr organizational ....ur... Fir.t, it i. a180 ba••d on a series of princ!ple., gui4eline. and obioctive.. The•• indicate clearly the spirit and foundation OD vhich r.f011l8 are to be \Uldertaken GIld th.y are important mil.ston.s in carrying out that r.structuring. n. European COIIIIUZllty and its 12 I1811ber Stat.. conll1d.r, in this cont.xt:, that it i. lnaportant for all to ~l'•• that thillUt r.foms must be carried out a. part of a restructuring and revitaliz.tion process which is continuing. This organized proc.ss aust have the effsct of strength.ning the transpar.ncy, flexibility and adaptability of the organization and, therefore, of its coordiDating .t~.ngth. Th. cour.e of action thus cho••n _u.t also le.d us gradu.lly to .ff.ctiv. p.rticipation in our work by all the protagonists in the .conomic and social life, gov.rDmental and non-governmental, including organisatioDs of regional economic integration. In the view of the 12 member State., it vas easential that a time-table and specific criteria fo~ future work be established. Tbis should le.d us to consider, at the next session of the Gen.ral Assembly, the subsldlary bodies of the Economic and Social COUDcil. The European Community and its 12 member States are detemined to undert.ke the aecssaary preparatory work in the coming weeks. ThiB t1Mtabl. &180 covers tbe" work on cOBlpl_ntarity Mt....n ~ GeDeral Aa...ly ad tU BCoDOll1c u4 Social COWlcil which'viII be clou ill the GeDeral Aas..l!' nut: year. De cOlapO.lt~on of ~ BcoDOllic u4 Social Council will also be recouicJereel by the ,.s.-ly at its _at ••••10D. It vu also agreed thet .. woUld proceea to • structural refora of the Secretariat. Lastly, a cOllPreuasive reviev of .uure. acloptee1 will H 1IIl4ertatoa at the forty-eighth sossion of the GaDaral "a.-bly. Por the Buro,... CODBUBi~y aDd ita 12 -..bel' Statea, this success has a broader political .ignificaace as veIl. First of all, it confirM. the eacellent climate of cooperation tha~ ealats .-oDg Mamber States iD the Gconollle aD4 social fields~ 8ecoDcJll', it confims that real progre.s can be achieved on the basis of CODsensus rather tbaD by a pointl.s. streagthoniag of lIajol'1ties. It SboW8 the eaisteDce of a ee-on aDd unan1llOus polltic~ vill to make the Uniteel Rations aD lD.trURODt for .ore effectlve discus810a and acUon. It alll~ ahon that MeJaber Stat.s, far frOll beiag intimidated by certain paat failure., have learned frOl8 the.. This is also how .. interpret. the approach taken, n...ly, that of sott1n~ 1101'0 rea1iatlc goals in the immediate future uhil. placing the actioD uacJortateD within the fraaevork of an oDgoing proc•••• Convinced as we are of the inportance of the alssloD the United RatioDs must carry out iD the ecoDomic aDd Bocial fi.ld., the Twelve.began preparatory work for this ez.rcia. iD Jaauary of thia yoar and have held A con.l6erable number of' informal _et1I1g8, They have contributed significant.ly to the ~esults that have been obtained, first, by matiDg available t~ delegations a dOCwneDt reflecting their p~r~:~'doa and, .eClon4~y,b7 participating actively in the Degotiations that ba". tueD place. ... area c1tIligbte4 that "1' of our proposal. have beeD llllcorporattt4 in the doC_Dt ju.-t adopted. n. Twelve wlu to thank all the delcgatioDs that have u4e this su~cess possible. .... shou14 particularly like to erapha81se the credit th&t should 90 to the -.berll of the GtcUf" of 77, which took the initiative boh!D4 thls ~.fom actioD last "D8ceaJ.Mtr aD4 pl&ye4 a Itey role iD the negotlatioDs. We shou14 al.o like to".Jipr••s our ~atitude to _IUl••aaor AwooDor 04 Mr. £u£uor positions iD suoh am abl. lHDDer uuJ iD such a constructive spirit. Our . spee.t.al thuks go to MbuDa40r ':rhOIlpSOD of Fiji, who, iD the cour.e of tho impresme4 us all. Tribute ~.t also b& pa14 to all who heve d8mo••trate4 special interest iD this. coaiP1.:a ·taDkand who~ with tUb .1IIag!xaatlve cODtributions, helf44 to overcam. the difficulties encount~re4~ . ne aC)l'e...nt r ••c~.d tQday CaD strelllgtheD the broader .spirit of l'efom that e~l.tm iD the UDited RatioDs. Nbil••trengthening· that spirit, it also . . demonstrate. the iDcre.sed cODfideDce MOmbGr States have in the adaptability, vlt:al1ty aDd 4pUlba of the Ulllited RatioDs - that is to say, iD its ability f to cope with pre.eat and future cbellenqe•• Hr.. IBWI (Japan)l My d.legation would Hke to joiD earl1ez speakers iD ezpresslDg its gratituda with regard to the resolution we have . . just adopted. That resolu.tioD 18 the l'esul~ of 10D«1- ud herd negotiations among us, whieh reflecte4 the importance vs have al1"atta~h.d to It. IDdeed6 by adopting thereaolutiou, we have ODce again embarked'upoD the fo~idable ta8~s of revitalising the United NatioDs iD the economic, soclal aDd related areas. ••••10D i. only the first forvard .t.p in a 10Dq proc.... the .at8bli.b8ent af a consolidat.d 8e••ion of the BCODO~ic and Social COUDc!l is a significant achievement, but we cannot take full advantage ~f it if other 8rraogementa in the ar.a remain unchanged in the future. Fir.t, ve hav. to pur.u. vigorou.ly the rationali.ation of the work of the Economic and Social Council. Unle•• we .ignificantly streamline the COUDcil'. agenda, the new arrange.,nt will only meeD a further burden on it. work aDd w111 not contdbuta to the efficiency we would like to ••• in it. Secondly, the .ubsidiary bodies in the .conomic, social and relatod fields Dd their reporting arranc;emonts r.present aDothct!' area in which substantial restructuring 1. ne.d.d. Inthi. respect, the.work of the Unit.d Rations Conf.r.nce on Trade aDd DeV.l0plCDt (WaAD) must be o:l:lI:Iin.d, .specially a. r.gard. its r.lation to the work of the Genoral Aas.ably and the Economic aDd Social COUDcil. Th. work of the General ADsembly, an4 .specially tbework of the Second and Third CCl!lIIittGes, must be r.vi.wed with a vi..... to avoiding duplication and to streamlining ~eir procedure. Whil. the reform p~oces. is int.rgovernmental in nature, that do.. Dot negate the responsibility of the Secretariat in mati~g ita work .s·.ffic.ont ac pos.ible. The Secretariat should not adopt a vait-aad-aeo attltud& but should vigorously pursue its task. in accordance with the Charter of the United Rations and such relevant r&solutions aa Gen~ral Aa8Gmbly resolution 41/213. During ~. negotiations, my delegation, among others, ompha.i••d the importance of holding the Dessions of the Bconomic and Social Council in He. York, as well as the question of redistributing the current seats on the Council. We hope that those matters will be reviewed seriously in the future. Laatly, I cannot conclude my statement without paying a high tribute to Amba••ador Thompson of Fiji, without whose efforts and perseverance we would never have reached an agre.ment. Ambassador Thompaon deserves our special appreciation. Mt. MUg (United States of Alllericah It is a great privilege' and honour for me today to speak on this subject on behalf of the United States delegation, of the Umited States Government and of the over 200 million Americans who have the privilege and honour of being citi3GDS of the host country to the United Rations. It is an honour for me od for our colleagues today to talk about the resolution ye have just adopted, which represents several ..eks of intense but seriou8 work, and to compliment all mambers on tho quality ,of the resolution, the quality of the progress we have made and the work We have accomplish.d. That work has been marked by a spirit of compromise and coop.ration aDd by a spirit of consensus, which ha. been commented upon by all the preoe4inq speakers. My delegation would also lite to tate this opportunity to note particularly and with deeply felt appreciation the l&adership given to our work end to our group by Ris Excellency the Ambassador of Fiji, the Honourable "iaatoD Thompsoa. We could not have got vhere we have ia the time we 41d without hill effort and h1a wisdom. From thebecJiuing ay delogation beUeved, aloDg v,lth Dany others, that we had an op~rtunity this year to achieve modest but yer1- real success. We have dODe ezactly that. We have moved; we have achiev.4 somethiDg with many implicationll for the future. As has been noted, ve c9ndder this to be a first'step in a significant proce.s. We hope that the resolution, aside from r" its OVA virtue., vill give a great impetus to that proc•••• As I have Doted, ay delegation believes that the resolutioD achieve. in a .ense only modest ob'ective., but they al" important, not only for their own value.. but because they are modest. We deci4ed deliberately to concentrate on the heart of the questloD of. reform of the economic and social activities of the United Nations - the Bconomic and Social Council itself. By co~centrating on that body, vehave been able to reach agreement on reforms which have great ,,-" implications for the future activities of ~e United Rations iD the ecoDomic and SOl::i81 areas. We have specifically agree~ OD importaDt changee iD the COUDcil's sessional and organi3ational arrangements. T.hese are importaDt changes vhich carry great hope for the future. They also create Dew responsibilities. The resolution creates Dev'respoDsibilities for' delegations.. with regard to how \ they behave in this reorguized Council to achieve the objectives ve hops to achieve. It also places Dew responsibilities OD the secretariat, both in terms of 'change. the .ecr~tariat must make within itself, but also in terms of changes ve are not even sure of yet; as the Council chuges, the secretariat vill have to change iD the future. ~he reaolutioD a180 has important implications for the Council's' subsidiary bodies. We have made a cOlnmitment to deal with that matter in the DellI' future. Aa well as having implications for the secretariat - changes in its working level, organization and schedule - the resolution has implications for the General Assembly in the near future. Nevertheless, .... hope and believe that the changes contained in the resolutioD vill lead to our one single, hoped-for result - a better organized, ... more effective and more efficient United NatioDs in the economic and social areas• In my 4el@gatloD's view, the resolution is particularly notable for the specific, concrete changes tha~ have been made in the sessional and organizational arran~.mont.'ef the Bconomic and Social Council. These are real. Many delegations have also heeD concerned about the ~ue8tioD of the principlem that will direct the changes ve have made now and future chan98. Much discussion has gone into the organization and drafting of this set of principles, and we are all confident in them. We are particularly hopeful that these principles will in the future guide our work of reform in a manner that will be free of political ideology and old-fashioned partisanship, and will direct us towards work that viII again lead to a better organized, more efficient and more effective United Nations in the acoDomic and social fields. Mrs. rRBVDENsCBVSS-RBICBL (Austria): My delegation attaches great importance to the work of the United NatioDs in the economic, social and related fleld~. It ia therefore very important for us to 8B8 the effectiveness and efficiency of the work of the United Nations in these fields enhance4. In my delegation's view, the resolution we have just adopted is a very concrete and positive step in the ongoing process of the restructuriDg and revitalization of the United Nations in these fields. I should like to add that participating in the arduous procesD of info~al consultations was a very rewarding experience for ~ delegation, because of the constructiveness of the contributions made by all partners, because of the s~irit of compromise that prevailed and thatenebled us to find consensus solutions and, last but Dot least, because of the able and patient leadership of the Pe~anent Representative of Fiji, Amba~sador ThOmpSOD, iD his capacity as Chai~an of the informal consultations. My delegation looks forward to continuing working on the restructuring and revitalization of the United Rations in the economic, Bocial and related fields constructively and creatively. Mr, ZRANG J81ui (China) (interpretation from Chinese)! The Chinese delegation welcomes the adoption by consensus of draft resolution A/45/L.49, We believe that this is en important step in the. process of the restructuring and revitalization of the United Nations in the economic, social and related fields. We hope that the intrOduction of the new Economic and Social Council and other rofo~ measures will be implemented effectively and will achieve the desired results. Xho Chinese delegation has always actively supported reform by the United . Nations in the economic, social and related fields. We believe that the objective of refo~ is to improve the efficiency of the United Rations, so that the Organization will respond more effectively to the need for international cooperation in the economic field, partiCUlarly with regard to the development needs of the developing countries • We believe that reformiDg the UDited NatloDa in the .coDaic and 80l:ial fields is a very coaplez CIa.atioD, involviDg Jlany lIattera that are comple_Dtaxy and related to each other. It also involves allllOat .very aspect of the activities of the UDited NatioDs in the ecoDomic, social and related fields. Therefore, iD this respect there should be a step-by-step appro&ch to reform and we should Dot ruah iDtO ul'thiDg hasty. If we do so, we shall Dever achieve aDy of the desired results. We note with sntisfactioD that the resolutioD we have juat adopted by eO~S.D.US basically reflects that approach. We believe that the resolutioD represeDts a very good beqianiDg to reformiDg the UDited Rations iD the ecoDomic, social aDd related fi61ds. Tberefort), we believe that the vie... of vadous parties lIuat ~ sought OD aDy import~t measurfts iD that regard, aD4 such 118aaures should be adopted by CODseDSUs. aefore I eonclu4e, I "ish on behalf of ~ delegation to express our special thanks to the P.~aDent .epr•••ntativeof Piii for his ezcellent work in the process of Info~l consultati~ns. Bis ezperience and diploaatic skills, as well as the patience that he 4.-onatrated in the proce.s, contributed greatly to the prQ9r.sa we achieved in the consultations. ~ thanks also go to all the cOUDtrie. and groups of cOUDtrie. that participated in the info~al consultations for tbalr contributions. Our particular thanka 90 to the Group of 77 - which actually ra~resents 128 countries - for ita special efforts and contributions. It is our hope that the spirit of constructive coop.ration demonstrat.d during this p~oces. will continu. to be manifested in the coming process of reform. Tb. PllSIDENTa Tbe General A..embly hall thus concluded ita consideration of ag.nda it'm 117. PROGRAMME or WOIK the PRESIDENTI At its n.zt pleDa~y meeting, to be h.ld on Thursday 16 May, the General Assembly will consider the r.port of the Fifth Committ.e OD agenda it.m 157, entitl.d "rinue1nq of the United Nation. M18810B for the R.f.r.ndwa in W.st.rn Sahara". It w11l alao consid.r und.r it... 86, "Special .conomic and disa&t~r reli.f assistance", a draft r.solution on .mergenc~ &ssistance to Haiti. the me.ting rOI. at 11.50 I.m.